Apartment mailbox door



Nov. 16, 1954 J. sTRoTHER APARTMENT MAILBox nooR Filed Aug. 17, 1951 ATTDRNEYS Unite This invention relates to mail boxes of the type built into walls particularly of apartment houses and wherein a plurality or" mail box doors are hinged to a common plate and positioned to swing upwardly, and in particular a mail box door hinged at the upper edge with a cover plate covering the rear surface of the door and a lock thereon and with a face plate on the front, the side and lower edges of the face plate being crimped over whereby continuous flanges are provided on the edges and across the lower edge of the door.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a thin metal cover that completely encloses the door of a mail box so that it is substantially impossible to work the blade of a knife in behind the door to pry the lock on the inner surface of the door.

ln the conventional type of mail box of apartment houses where a plurality of mail boxes are provided in a common cover plate, doors to the individual boxes are hinged to the plate and as these doors are of a comparatively ilimsy construction it is possible to insert a knife blade in the openings between the doors and particularly under the lower edges of the doors and thereby force the lock. With this thought in mind this invention contemplates an outer face plate positioned over the doors of the mail boxes and a cover plate on the inner surfaces of the doors, the side and lower edges of the face plate being crimped over the edges of the door and cover plate at the back whereby access to the lock on the back of the door is denitely prevented.

The object of this invention is, therefore, to provide means for covering the lock on a mail box door and also means for retaining the covering means in position so that it is substantially impossible to force the lock.

Another object of the invention is to provide a protecting device that is adapted to be installed on covers of mail boxes now in use without materially changing covers or boxes.

A further object of the invention is to provide a protecting enclosure for covers of mail boxes which is of a simple and economical construction.

With these and other objects and advantages in view the invention embodies a cover plate positioned on the back of a mail box door with an extended section positioned over the conventional lock of the door and a face plate having an opening therethrough for the name card and having continuous flanges at the sides and on the lower edge whereby the cover and face plate may readily be clamped over the door of a mail box.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawings wherein:

Figure l is a front elevational view illustrating a conventional mail box of the flat type as is used in a wall of an apartment or the like.

Figure 2 is a vertical section through one of the doors of the mail boxes shown in Fig. 1 being taken on line 2 12 of Fig. 1, and showing the parts on an enlarged sca e.

Figure 3 is a detail showing a section through the lower part of a door of one of the mail boxes shown in Fig. 1 being taken on line 3--3 of Fig. 1 and showing the parts on an enlarged scale.

Figure 4 is a rear elevational View of a door of one States Patent O of the mail boxes shown in Fig. l showing the position of the parts on the back of the door.

Figure 5 is a cross section through one of the doors of the mail box shown in Fig. l being taken on line 5-5 of Fig. l.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts the improved mail box protecting cover of this invention includes a face plate 10 having continuous flanges 11 and 12 at the sides, a flange 13 across the lower edge, a Window 14 to provide means for observing the name plate, and an opening 15 for the mail box key, and a cover plate 16 positioned on the back of the door and provided with an extended section 17 to fit over a lock 18 mounted on the back of the door, and also an extended section 19 that nests over grooved flanges 20 in which a name card 21 may be held.

With the plate lpositioned against the back or inner surface of a door, as indicated by the numeral 22, with the section 17 positioned over the lock 18 and the extended section 19 over the name card holding anges the face plate 10 is positioned against the outer surface of the door and the langes 11, 12 and 13 crimped around over the edges of the door 22 and also over the edges of the plate 16, as illustrated in Figure 4.

With the continuous flanges around the edges and covering plate 16 it is impossible to insert a knife blade or other tool under the door 22 to reach the lock 18.

As illustrated in Figure 4 the ilange 13 is provided with a notch 23 through which the lock bolt or latch 24 from the lock 18 extends.

The upper edge of the door 22 is provided with hinged hub sections 25 by which the door is pivotally connected to similar sections 26 on the plate 27 by a pin 28. The plate Z7 is mounted in a frame 29 and this plate is secured in the locked positioned by a latch 30.

With the door protected in this manner the mail box is used in the conventional manner with the mail box key inserted through the opening 15 in the face plate 10.

lt will be understood that modifications may be made in the design and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A mail box door protecting cover comprising a plate adapted to be positioned against the inner surface of a door, and a face plate adapted to cover the outer surface of the door and having spaced parallel flanges at the sides and lower edge extending over the correspending sides and and lower edge of the plate adapted to be positioned against the inner surface of the door.

2. A mail box door protecting cover as described in claim l wherein the plate adapted to be positioned against the inner surface of the door is provided with an extended section for receiving the lock on the inner surface of the door.

3. In a mail box door, the combination which comprises a base plate having a plurality of hinge hubs on the upper edge and name card and lock openings therethrough, a lock positioned against the inner surface of the base plate, a cover plate positioned against the inner surface of the base plate and having an extended section shaped and positioned to enclose the lock of the inner surface of the base plate, and a face plate having window and lock openings therein positioned on the front of the base plate and having continuous flanges on the sides and lower edge extended over the edges at the sides and lower end of the base plate and cover plate positioned against the inner surface of the base plate, said flange at the lower end of the face plate having a notch for receiving the lock bolt therein.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Da 

